Originally Posted by
brobab
Agreed.
But I can't resist my mini rant ..... I have never heard a single reasonable logical explanation of why someone can't just turn it completely off. I saw once where some supposed engineer said it was about battery cycles doing more harm to the unit than just leaving it on - didn't buy it. IMO - they ask for it to be turned off, so turn it all the frickin way off. You aren't supposed to defecate on the catering carts either and 99.9% of the pax seem to be able to comply with that one. To me it is a matter of courtesy. The only reason I can see someone feeling the need to leave it on is because that someone has a self inflated view of their importance and believes the rules don't apply to them. The ones I especially love are the pax who not too surreptitiously "sneak" their device down next to the armrest so that the FA's can't see it. Really? Do you need immediate access to angry birds that badly?
In my opinion, following all rules just because they are there does not happen by anyone. Do you 100% follow the speed limit? I'm pretty sure you've gone over it many times in your life. When a doctor tells you to cut all the junk food out of your diet, do you never eat a piece of candy again? When you were a child and your parents asked you to never lie to them, can you say you've never told a lie to your parents as a child?
There are a million more examples like this in every aspect in life. My point is, not a single person on this planet always follows every rule, especially when they don't understand the reason for it.
I guarantee you that every time you fly, there are some passengers with various electronic devices on, whether it's in their pocket or bags. I understand the reasoning of not wanting devices being used at that time because it could fly out of someone's hands and hurt someone.
However, the idea that having your phone on and in airplane mode while in your pocket could do any damage is ludicrous. As anyone with a computer or electrical engineering degree can tell you, it just isn't true.
Otherwise, let's just send a note to all those terrorists who want to bring down a plane and tell them to just purchase all the tickets on a plane. Then at take-off, they can turn on all their kindles, iPods, phones, etc. and make it crash.